Bruises of the Heart
by kirausa
Summary: Everyone does something for a reason, one of them is to remind them of their loved ones. Gintoki: Gintoki Sakata preferred to use his wooden sword over any others.


Title: Bruises of the Heart

Summary: Everyone does everything for a reason. One of them is to remind them of their loved ones.

Word count: 841. Very short.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gintama. Never did, never will.

Author's Note: This just pops in my head out of nowhere. I imagined some of their past and experiences, and some of them are based off Wikipedia, so please tell me where I went wrong if I'm mistaken. Please?

Also, I might or might not update this. If I think there are enough request (even though I'm not confident if I will ever receive a request), then I will continue. These are the characters that fascinate me the most, so please enjoy!

* * *

Gintoki Sakata had used many kinds of swords in his life, but he preferred his wooden sword over any others. He had broken countless of them from a young age, though. They never lasted long in his hands.

But each one of them had protected from dangers and led him to victories, so many times that he couldn't remember them all. From foul ones (his battle with Kondo) to triumphant ones; Gintoki was proud of them all. His wooden swords served him good memories, and created encounters with interesting people. They weren't as sharp as metal swords, of course, but it still hurt when you know where to hit, and still cut if you swing it right. He wouldn't trade them for the world.

Because they were cheaper, definitely. He was so charming and attractive that people couldn't help drawing their swords and swinging them at him, and he wasn't sure that a metal sword would last longer for him.

And he'd prefer to avoid the very kind of metal weapon that cut his Sensei's head.

* * *

Kagura loved her mother. She had a love-hate relationship with her father.

She hated her older brother with all her heart, because he attempted to kill their father. She hated Kamui because he left them, herself and their mother when she was in critical condition. He left her all alone to watch her mother die, and left her alone to bury her in their backyard, because as strong as a Yato girl was, a five-year-old child couldn't possibly drag her mother all the way to the graveyard, five kilometers from her home.

She despised her older brother even more when she met him again on earth. There he was, being all cold-hearted and cold-blooded, smiling all the time and carelessly flying in space with his crew. He never cared about their family, their mother, _her_. But deep down, she realized she could never really hate her brother. He was still her only sibling, after all. She'd do anything to save him.

Otae once asked her about changing her hairstyle. She offered to braid them, or maybe just let them down naturally, because her hair was so silky and she'd look very beautiful with her hair down, but Kagura kindly rejected the offer.

At sixteen, Kagura still liked to reminiscence the days when her mother was too sick, and it would be Kamui putting up her hair in the black-gold hair ornament he'd bought for her.

* * *

Shinpachi was plain; he knew it from the beginning. His looks was plain, his clothing was plain, even his personality and abilities was nothing special.

The only said charm point about his appearance was his glasses. The glasses were the only thing that made him recognizable, and often his friend tell him that they were the only thing that made him a character. Sometimes he wondered if his glasses were the only thing they remembered about him. But many times they assure him that they weren't. Even though the thought wasn't conveyed by words, he understood very well.

He recalled the days he started wearing glasses, a few days after his father died. Otae only made porridge when their father was sick, so after he was gone, she decided to cook more varieties of dishes. One part of the reason for him to wear glasses was to hypnotize himself to eat her poorly cooked meals. But the other part was so he couldn't see his sister's tears flowing on her cheeks every night for a few months, mourning over their father.

* * *

Toshiro Hijikata loved Mitsuba Okita before, and he loved her until now, he would never deny that. He loved everything about her: her face, her beauty, her gentleness, her smile, her boldness; except for her special chili pepper rice and that brat of a little brother she had.

She was the only person who had an obsession in par with his, and she was the only one to accept him for who he truly was, mayonnaise and all.

They spent time loving each other quietly, without ever uttering a word of affection, and it surprised him when she asked him to take her with him. But no, she couldn't. With a life he was seeking for, there were so many things unsightly for her eyes, bad for her health, he could be killed any time; he was afraid of leaving her alone in the danger he was challenging.

So he lied, and left her.

In the end, it was Mitsuba who truly left him in this world. He assured himself that it was alright─ she was happy, she was healthy now, she couldn't feel pain anymore. The only regret he had was that he couldn't protect her from the lies ahead, disguised as love, nearly snatching away her happiness with all its filthiness. He silently cursed her former fiancé, the man he threw to hell with his own hands.

Hijikata smoked to taste the bitterness of her chili pepper sprinkles, even though it was not quite the same, even if it was just a little bit.

* * *

Please review! Tell me what you think. And give me critics too, if you want.


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